February Featured Yogi & Chocolatier, Marianne Manes

Chocolatier and yogi in our weekly classes, Marianne Manes writes about her journey:
 
I started learning yoga fifteen years ago and have experienced a variety of teachers. Michelle clearly stands out with her beautiful and bright energy. I love how her practice and teaching encompasses body, mind and spirit. She not only preaches yoga but lives and exudes it.  
 
Yoga strengthens and opens up my body and it's meditation at the same time. Yoga practices are like islands in my week. They are a time and opportunity to breathe and come to myself, calm down and let go of layers of myself that I don't need. It's a time and way to connect to spirit. And of course yoga makes me strong and flexible and helps me get rid of the kinks in my body that I incur from working in my Coco Suisse chocolate atelier. I don't know that I have a favorite pose. Depending on my body and mind's state, one pose or another will just feel particularly great on that day.
 
In yoga and in my chocolate creations I look to reduce to the essence, nothing more, nothing less. I aim to let go of anything non-essential or unnecessary. Simplicity, purity and clarity of lines, ingredients, flavors and expression are of essence. To me, chocolate, life and yoga parallel each other.
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Marianne Manes is co-creator of Los Angeles, CA-based company, Coco Suisse.  Connect with her and try some of her decadent chocolates (my favorites are her vegan dark chocolate bar, salted dark chocolate slims and fruit-kissed chocolate "lovies"), all tastefully made with love:
 
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Instagram CocoSuisseLA
www.cocosuisse.com

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